Developing motivation in learning english reading skill of the students at thieu hoa high school, thanh hoa province

The main purposes of the study are tofind out: types of motivation possessed by the students at Thieu Hoa high school, factorsaffecting students’ motivation in learning English reading s

HÓA, TỈNH THANH HÓA)

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410

Cohort: K18 Supervisor: Đỗ Bá Quý, MEd.

HANOI, 2011

THANH HÓA)

M.A MINOR THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410

Cohort: K18

HANOI, 2011

This study is an attempt to investigate factors affecting motivation in learning Englishreading skill of the students at Thieu Hoa high school The main purposes of the study are tofind out: types of motivation possessed by the students at Thieu Hoa high school, factorsaffecting students’ motivation in learning English reading skill, activities and techniquesapplied by teachers and students’ preference and then give some suggested solutions forteachers to stimulate students to read and overcome the difficulties they face with in teachingreading

The study consists of three parts Part A, the introduction, states the rationale, aims,scopes, design and methods of the research Part B, the development, is divided into threechapters Chapter 1 reviews theoretical background relating to motivation and reading.Chapter 2 presents the methods used in the study including the setting of the study, individualsparticipating in the study, instruments, data collection and data analysis Chapter 3 shows thedetailed results together with a comprehensive analysis on the data collected from the surveyquestionnaires and the interview Part C, the conclusion, presents the conclusions, the study’slimitations and suggestions for further study

The results of the study show that in learning English reading skill, most of thestudents at Thieu Hoa high school appeared to possess a combination of both instrumental andintegrative motivation; however, the instrumental orientation is stronger than the integrativeone Besides, the sudy reveals that the reading materials and the teachers are the mostimportant factors affecting the students’ motivation Therefore, the researcher suggests twostrategies to develop the students’motivation namely developing the reading materials andimproving the teachers’ role

First of all, I wish to acknowledge my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Mr Do BaQuy, MEd for his valuable guidance, helpful suggestions and critical feedback throughout theresearch, without which my research could not been completed

I wish to send my sincere thanks to all the lecturers in the Faculty of Post-graduateStudies, University of Languages and International Studies, VNU for their useful lessons fromwhich I have benefited a lot for the accomplishment of this study

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my students in three classes 11G, 11M,11N and my colleagues at Thieu Hoa high school for their participation and assistancewithout which this study could not have been successful

My sincere thanks to my cousin, Ngo Khac Vi and my close friends who offered metheir help, care, support and encouragement during the time I study at Hanoi

Finally, my love and thanks to my beloved family, especially my husband and my sonfor not only their encouragement and support but also their whole-hearted help during myresearch

Thanh Hoa, August, 2011

Luc Thi My Binh

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

I LIST OF TABLES:

Table 1: Participants by age and gender………17

Table 2: The students’ experience of learning English………… ……….………18

Table 3: The students’ reasons for learning reading skill……….……… 18

Table 4: Activities used by the teachers……… 25

Table 5: Technique used by the teachers……… … ……….25

Table 6: The students’ preference for the techniques used by the teachers……….28

Table 7: The teachers’ opinions on the textbook……… …30

Table 8: The students’ opinions on reading materials……….31

II LIST OF CHARTS Chart 1: Types of students’ motivation in learning reading skill……….……….…20

Chart 2: The students’ interest in learning reading skill……… 21

Chart 3: Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading skill……….22

Chart 4: The students’ preference for activities used by the teachers……… 27

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale for the study 1

2 Aims of the study 1

3 Research questions 2

4 Scopes of the study 2

5 Methods of the study 2

6 Design ofthe study 3

7 Design of the study 3

PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4

1.1 Overview of motivation 4

1.1.1 Definitions of motivation 4

1.1.2 Types of motivation 4

1.1.2.1 Integrative vs instrumental motivation 5

1.1.2.2 Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation 5

1.1.2.3 Global, situational and task motivation 6

1.1.2.4 Resultative motivation 6

1.1.3 Roles of motivation in second language learning 7

1.2 Overview of reading 7

1.2.1 Definitions of reading 7

12.3 Roles of reading in foreign language learning 8

1.3 Motivation in learning reading 9

1.3.1 The importance of motivation in learning reading 9

1.3.2 Common factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading skill 10

1.3.2.1 The students 10

1.3.2.2 The teachers 11

1.3.2.3 The reading materials 12

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 13

2.1 The setting of the study 13

2.2 Individuals participating in the study 14

2.3 Instruments 14

2.4 Data collection 15

2.5 Data analysis 16

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS, MAJOR FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS 17

3.1 Demographic information 17

3.2 Data analysis and major findings 18

3.2.1 The identification of students’ motivation 18

3.2.1.1 Types of students’ motivation 18

3.2.1.2 The students’ interest in learning reading skill 21

3.2.1.3 Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading skill 22

3.2.2 Activities, teaching aids and techniques used by the teachers and the students’ preference 24

3.2.2.1 Activities, teaching aids and techniques used by the teachers 24

3.2.2.2 The students’ preference for activities and techniques used by the teachers 27

3.2.3 The teachers and students’ opinions on the textbook 30

3.2.3.1 The teachers’ opinions on the textbook 30

3.2.3.2 The students’ opinion on the textbook 31

3.3 Suggestions for motivating students in learning reading skill 33

3.3.1 Developing the reading materials 33

3.3.2 Improving the teachers’ roles 34

PART C: CONCLUSION 36

1 Conclusions 36

2 Limitations and suggestions for further studies 37

REFERENCES 39

APENDICES I

PART A: INTRODUCTION

This part presents the rationale for choosing the topic, the aims of the study, theresearch questions, the scope, the methods, the significance and the design of the study inorder to help readers have a general view on the research

1 Rationale for the study

In our modern society, English has become an international language forcommunication and it is also an important demand for schooling and job opportunities Thenumber of people who are learning English is increasing so quickly and English has beenlearnt through many sources in many different ways

It can be clearly seen that in Vietnam, we are mainly teaching and learning English

in non-language environment so reading is the main source to get knowledge of languageand life as well as to develop other skills However, many learners of English are notinterested in learning reading They often think that reading is the least important skill as itdoes not help learners directly in communicating On the other hand, learners alsocomplain that reading always makes them feel bored and stressful So, it can be concludedthat our students lack of motivation to read In fact, motivation is one of the most importantfactors affecting the result of learning English Students with high motivation can learn aforeign language better than those who do not Therefore, one of the first duties of Englishteachers is motivating their students to read

Because of the above reason, I do my research on “Developing motivation inlearning English reading skill of students at Thieu Hoa high school, Thanh Hoa province”,hoping to find out some solutions to better the current situation of teaching and learningEnglish reading skill and hoping to help English teachers and students in general and those

at Thieu Hoa high school in particular in their teaching and studying

2 Aims of the study

The study is aimed at:

- Identifying types of motivation possessed by students at Thieu Hoa high school in learning reading skill

- Studying factors affecting motivation in learning English reading skill of students at Thieu Hoa high school.

- Finding out strategies to develop motivation of students in order to improve their results

of learning reading skill

3 Research questions

The study was carried out in order to find out the answers to the following research questions:

1.What are the types of motivation possessed by students at Thieu Hoa high school

in learning reading skill?

2. What are the factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English readingskill?

3. What are appropriate strategies to develop students’ motivation in learningreading skill?

4 Scope of the study

The topic “Developing motivation for learning English reading skill of students atThieu Hoa high school, Thanh Hoa province” has many interesting aspects that I want tomention However I do not hope to cover all these aspects with my limited time andknowledge So in my assignment, I will focus on the types of motivation possessed bystudents, the factors affecting motivation in learning English reading skill and the strategies

to develop motivation for learning English reading skill of students at Thieu Hoa highschool

5 Significance of the study

The study highlights the important roles of motivation to English second languagelearning in general and to reading skill in particular

The findings of the study are believed to be useful for English teachers to be aware

of the essential roles of factors affecting studentds’motivation in a reading lesson Besides,the suggested strategies for developing students’ motivation in learning reading skill, whichare based on the theoretical background and the current situation of teaching and learningEnglish reading skill at Thieu Hoa high school, hopefully can help English teachers andstudents in general and those at Thieu Hoa high school in particular in their teaching andstudying

6 Methods of the study

The theoretical background of the study mainly bases on references and analysis torelevant theories about motivation and reading of many authors The study is carried out onthe basis of survey questionnaires and interview

Firstly, for the theoretical basis, a lot of reference materials on motivation andreading have been gathered, analyzed and synthesized thoroughly with the clueconsideration for the teachers’ and students’ teaching and learning situations

Secondly, for the practical basis, interviews and questionnaires are carried out withteachers and students of English to gather the most reliable data for the thesis

7 Design of the study

The study is organized in three parts:

Part A: Introduction presents the rationale, the aims of the study, the research

questions, the scope of the study, the significance of the study, the methods of the studyand the design of the study

Part B: Development includes three chapters

Chapter 1: Literature review provides theoretical backgrounds for the study Its

focus is on introducing important relevant concepts, discussions of issues and ideas ontheories for motivation, nature of reading and motivation in learning reading as well asfactors affecting motivation in learning reading

Chapter 2: The methodology presents the methods used in the study including the

setting of the study, participants of the study, data collection instruments, data collectionand data analysis procedure

Chapter 3: Data analysis, major findings and suggestions shows the detailed

results together with a comprehensive analysis on the data collected from the surveyquestionnaires and the interview

Part C: Conclusion presents the conclusions, the study’s limitations and the

suggestions for further study

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, the theoretical backgrounds for the study are provided The chapterfocuses on introducing important relevant concepts, discussions of issues and ideas ontheories for motivation, nature of reading and motivation in learning reading as well asfactors affecting motivation in learning reading

1.1 Overview of motivation

1.1.1 Definitions of motivation

Motivation is the energy that catalyzes behavior So far, many researchers havegiven definitions of motivation and most of them agree that motivation is the extent towhich people make choices about goals to pursue and the effort they will devote to thatpursuit The following are motivation definitions offered by some well-known scholars

“Motivation is some kinds of internal drove which pushes someone to do things inorder to achieve something” (Brown, 2000:160)

“Motivation explains why people decide to do something, how hard they are going

to pursue it and how long they are willing to sustain the activities” (Dornyei, 2001:7)

“Motivation is an internal state that arouses directs and maintains behavior”(Kleinginna, 1981:6)

“Motivation involves the attitudes and effective states that influence the degree ofeffort that learners make to learn a second language” (Ellis, 1997:5)

“Motivation can be constructed as a state of cognitive and emotional arousal, whichleads to a conscious decision to act, and which gives rise to period of sustained intellectualand/or physical effort in order to attain a previously set goal (or goals)” (William,1997:120)

It is clear from the above definitions that different scholars approach motivationdefinition differently However, they all share the same point of view that motivationcombines effort and desire plus favorable attitude and occur as a result of combination ofexternal and internal influences

1.1.2 Types of motivation

There are many different distinctions between types of motivation such as:integrative vs instrumental motivation (Gardner and Lambert, 1972); intrinsic vs extrinsicmotivation (Moore, K.D., 1992); global, situational and task motivation (Brown, H.D,1990); instrumental, intergrative, resultative and intrinsic (Ellis, R., 1994) Regarding allclassifications of motivation, after all, the study based mainly on the distinction proposed

by Gardner and Lambert (1972)

1.1.2.1 Integrative vs instrumental motivation

 Integrative motivation: In a pioneering study, Gardner and Lambert (1972: 132)

highlights “integrative motivation” which stresses “a sincere and personal interest in thepeople and culture represented by the other group” Gardner’s later socio-educationalmodel (1982) adds three aspects of student motivation: effort (time and drive), desire(extent of language proficiency wished for) and effect (emotional reactions to languagestudy) Integrative motivation is the desire on the part of the student to feel an affinity withthe people, the society and the culture of the language that is learned, and is usuallyreferred to in the context of living in the target language community (Falk 1978, andFinnegan, 1999)

 Instrumental motivation: Gardner and Lambert (1972: 132) also points out that

“instrumental motivation” which stresses “the practical value and advantages of learning anew language” Instrumental motivation concerns the practical and concrete rewards thatstudent’s desire (Hudson, 2000) This relates to achievement purposes for instance passing

an exam or getting a degree A student’s opinion of a given language is significantly shaped

by its perceived usefulness and relevance to future career goals (Chambers, 1999)

1.1.2.2 Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation

Moore, K.D., (1992) separates motivation into two main categories: extrinsicmotivation and intrinsic motivation

 Intrinsic motivation comes from within the student or from factors inherent in the

task being performed For example, students who love to read are intrinsically motivated toread - there is something about reading that they enjoy and that makes them want to do iteven if there is no "reward" for it

According to Moore (1992), “intrinsic motivation is what learners bring to learningenvironment, that is, their internal attributes: attitudes, values, needs and personalityfactors” Ellis (1994) also states that intrinsic motivation “involves the arousal andmaintenance of curiousity and can ebb and flow as a result of such factors as learners’particular interests and the extent to which they feel personally involved in learningactivities” The factors of support of intrinsic motivation are: competence (feeling that youknow how to do things), autonomy (being able to perform an activity by yourself withoutexternal help) and relatedness (connection with your social environment like helping theothers)

 Extrinsic motivation comes from sources external to the student and the task It can

come through praise, recognition, or a system of rewards For example, for students who

do not enjoy reading, a token economy involving stickers or a class store may prompt them

to read more often

Paul (2002) states that extrinsic motivation is “motivation to engage in an activity

as means to an end” Moore (1992) gives easily understandable definition that “extrinsicmotivation originates outside the individual and is concerned with external environmentsfactors that help shape students’ behavior”

Most writers agree that intrinsic and extrinsic interact with each other and play animportant role in second language learning As a result, learners can be either motivated byinternal or external factors depending on the circumstances and conditions the activity isperformed

1.1.2.3 Global, situational and task motivation

Brown (1990) identified three types of motivation:

Global motivation consists of general orientation to the global of L2 learning Situational motivation is different according to the situation in which learning takesplace Thus the motivation in classroom setting differs from that in naturalistic learning

Task motivation is the motivation learners get when they are performing someparticular tasks in learning performance

1.1.2.4 Resultative motivation

In some cases, motivation is the result of learning Hermann (1980) stated that ‘it is success that contributes to motivation rather than vice- versa’ (cited in Ellis, 1997)

Ellis (1997) also concluded that ‘the relationship between motivation andachievement is an interactive one A high level of motivation does stimulate learning, butperceived success in achieving L2 goals can help to maintain existing motivation and evencreate new types Conversely, a vicious circle of low motivation = low achievement = lowmotivation can develop’.

1.1.3 Roles of motivation in second language learning

Motivation in second language learning is a complex phenomenon which can bedefined in terms of two factors: Learners’ communicative needs and their attitudes towardsthe second language community If the learners need to speak the second languages in awide range of social situations or to fulfill professional ambitions, they will perceive thecommunicative value of the second language and will therefore be motivated to acquireproficiency in it Likewise, if learners have favorable attitudes towards the speakers of thelanguages, they will desire more contact with them

According to many studies, motivation plays an important role in second languagelearning Motivation is strongly related to success in language learning It is not only thecause of success but it can also be the effect of success Brown, H.D (1994) affirmed that alearner will be successful with the proper motivation in learning Rebeccal and Jill Sheorin(1996:121) also point out “Motivation is important because it directly influences how oftenstudents use second language learning strategies, how much students interact with nativespeakers, how much input they receive in the language being learned, how well they do oncurriculum-related achievement tests, how high their general proficiency level becomes,and how long they preserve and maintain second language skills after language study isover”

Because of the important role of motivation in second language learning asmentioned above, it is necessary for teachers to pay attention in developing both intrinsicand extrinsic motivation for their students in learning

1.2 Overview of reading

1.2.1 Definitions of reading

Most of us think of reading as a simple, passive process that involves readingwords in a linear fashion and internalizing their meaning one at a time But reading isactually a very complex process that requires a great deal of active participation on the part

of the reader There are many definitions of reading from experts in the field

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, “reading is a process of retrievingand comprehending some form of stored information or ideas”.

Harmer (1994:190) says “reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and thebrain The eyes receive the message and the brain then has to work out the significance ofthese messages”

Sharing the same point of view, Aebersold and Field (1997:15) propose “reading iswhat happens when people look at a text and assign meaning to the written symbol in thattext”

Goodman (1971:153) sees reading as “a psycholinguistic process by which thereader, a language user, reconstructs, as best as he can, a message which has been encoded

by a writer as a graphic display”

As we can see, all the authors share the same idea that reading meanscomprehending written language and it involves a variety of skills

1.2.2 Roles of reading in foreign language learning

As we know, reading is one of the major skills of learning a second or foreignlanguage and it has a prominent position in the design of a foreign language teachingprogramme Krashen & Terrel (1983:131) state that “Reading may contribute significantly

to competence in a second language There is good reason, in fact, to hypothesize thatreading makes a contribution to overall competence, to all four all four skills”

Firstly, reading benefits grammatical knowledge and vocabulary development andtherefore overall competence increases According to Geoff (2000:16), reading “may help

to increase knowledge of the target language through exposure to new vovabulary andgrammatical structures” A practical observation is that where the vagaries of prepositions

or phrasal verbs are concerned, the learners who make the fewest mistakes are those whoread the most Reading is indeed is the best way to enrich learners’ vocabulary becausewhile reading, the learners know most of the words in the text already, and they can alsodetermine the meaning of many new words from the context Moreover, through readingthe learners will have really good chances to learn about the forms of grammaticalstructures and how they are used in different situations

Secondly, for learners of English as a second or foreign language, reading is a reallyimportant because it brings learners with a wide range of interesting informations about thecountry as well as the culture of the target language Learning a language means

learning a new culture.The information in the reading texts helps learners to understand theways of life, thoughts, beliefs, behaviors and other social aspects of the English people,thus they can tackle the vocabulary, the grammar, and the background knowledge or cross-cultural problems they often encouter now.

Thirdly, reading is a means to knowledge, not only about the target language butperhaps more importantly about the world; it provides the learners with knowledge ofculture, grammar structures, and vocabulary so reading is seen as a basic skill to developspeaking, listening and writing When reading, learners get information, vocabulary andgrammar structure and use to speak, listen and write In other words, reading providesinput knowledge for speaking, listening and writing

In short, for many learners in an EFL context, where actual contact with the targetculture is limited, reading can be the major source of input It helps learners get knowledge

of language and life as well as develop other skills

1.3 Motivation in learning reading

1.3.1 The importance of motivation in learning reading

It can be clearly seen that reader’s motivation has an effect not only on the product

of comprehension but also upon the process of understanding According to David (1999),

“motivation is one of the most important ingredients in skilled reading” If we show nointerest in the text, it means that we do not want to read then the reading activity willbecome a pressure to ourselves and even the reading process may not happen at all Inreality, most of what we read such as books, magazines, advertisements, etc is what wereally want to read

Reading motivation refers to the desire to read even when not required to do so.Reading motivation involves seeking out opportunities to read for curiousity, knowledgeand involvement Reading researchers recognized that in order to create lifelong readers,endowing the learners with proficient reading skills are not enough They also need to haveinternalized motivation Reader’s motivation has been shown to relate to the quality of theoutcome of reading Many studies have shown that bad readers lack motivation to read or

to spend time improving their ability to read Therefore, it is neccessary to improve readermotivation

1.3.2 Common factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading skill

Besides, the students’ background knowledge also dominates their motivation toread Without background knowledge, the students would meet a lot of difficulties incomprehending the text and even the language comprehension could not take place at all.Consequently, the students would lose their interest in reading and never read any more

Last but not least, the students’ success is a strong factor influencing theirmotivation in learning reading As human being, we generally like what we do well, andtherefore we are more likely to do it again and put in more effort If students put in moreeffort they will get better results and so this sustains their motivation

Secondly, the teachers play the key role in creating a good classroom environment.This is a really inportant factor because classroom environments have a powerful effect onthe encouragement or discouragement of motivation to learn.

Thirdly, the teacher’s personality and attitude towards the students play a prime role

in affecting both student motivation and progress Many educational researchers admit thatthe teacher with warm, empathetic, sensitive, enthusiastic and humorous characteristicswould be more likely successful in teaching than the ones without those characteristics.Those teachers, who are enthusiastic in teaching have a positive attitude to the subject andthe students, would be capable of keeping students interested in reading The teachers canraise the students’ love for reading by their rapport with the students, their personalitythemselves because they are the ones of students’ respect and can affect them a great deal

Finally, the way the teacher assesses and evaluates the students’ progress alsoinfluences their motivation in learning the subject The teacher should not compare theperformance of a student to that of the others but encourage and create a supportiveenvironment for them to put more effort It is advisable to evaluate their progress withthemselves in order to make them more self – confident and motivated

1.3.2.3 The reading materials

The reading materials play an important role to students’ motivation in reading interms of its level of challenge, its topic and content Reading materials that are interestingand relevant to the students will motivate them to read

Firstly, reading materials should have suitable topics and contents, this means, thetexts should interest the students Nuttal (1982:70) points out that “the texts that areconsidered suitable will tell the students things they do not know and introduce them tonew and relevant ideas” In the case the topic of the text is not interesting and irrelevant totheir experience and knowledge they may stop reading because they can not understand themeaning of the text enough to satisfy their expectations, need or interests In general, ifstudents enjoy what they read, the reading comprehension is the best achieved

Secondly, reading materials’ language items such as vocabulary and grammaticalstructures also have an impact on the students’ motivation The students would also befrustrated and tired when encountering with a great deal of unknown words, complexsentence structures and so on In terms of linguistic items, the vocabulary in the reading

text must be of appropriate level with suitable density of idioms The complexity ofgrammar must not be too great Besides, the background of the text must be within thestudents’ imaginative grasp.

In short, it is a challenge for the teacher to select or exploit the texts in the waysthat improves students’ interests and motivation in reading

To sum up, Chapter 1 has presented some theoretical background knowledgerelated to the topic of the study It has discussed some concepts and ideas concerning to theissue of motivation in general and motivation in second language study in particular.Besides, some different aspects related to reading were also discussed, especially someaspects related to factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading comprehensionskill The following chapter will display the detailed description of the methodology, theprocedures of the study under the light of the above-discussed theories

CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methods used in the study including the setting of thestudy, participants of the study, data collection instruments, data collection and dataanalysis procedure

2.1 The setting of the study

The study was conducted at Thieu Hoa high school, Thanh Hoa province For about

20 recent years, English has been a compulsory subject and also the only foreign language

at the school All of the students of Thieu Hoa high school had at least four years learningEnglish at secondary schools They have to learn English for three more years at highschool before taking part in the general education exam at the end of grade 12 Althoughthe school is located at the town of Thieu Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province, the studentshave not many chances to approach English language except reading their textbooks andstudying at schools

The teaching and learning English at Thieu Hoa high school follows the newcurriculumn (since 2006) of The Ministry of Education and Training All the students learnthe set of basic program textbooks Tieng Anh 10, Tieng Anh 11, Tieng Anh 12 whichincludes the total of 315 periods of 45 minutes in the class It means that students have 3classes of English per week, equivalents with 105 classes per school year

Reading skill is taught 16 periods per school year, in which students read 16

different texts of the six themes: You and me, Education, Community, Nature and environment, Recreation, People and places Students are trained to improve such reading

strategies as: skimming for gist, scanning for specific information, drawing conclusion,making inferences and restatements, writing summaries

In Thieu Hoa high school, the English group has 8 teachers The oldest teachershave more than 25 years of teaching experience and the youngest ones have more than fiveyears of experience All of them are very enthusiastic and willing to apply better methods

to upgrade their teaching quality

2.2 Participants of the study

The study was carried out with the participation of 115 students of grade 11 atThieu Hoa high school They are at the age of 17-18 and have learnt English for (at least) 4years at secondary school and one more year at Thieu Hoa high school Of the 115participants, 62 students (53.9%) are female and 53 students (46.1%) are male All of themare living in the countryside and have not many chances to approach English languageexcept reading their textbooks

Besides, seven teachers of English at Thieu Hoa high school were also invited totake part in this study by answering the survey questionnaire Among them, two teachersare male and the others are female All of them have been teaching English at the schoolfor years

2.3 Data collection instruments

To obtain the information for the study, the researcher used three instruments

2.3.1 Instrument one: Questionnaire for the teachers

The survey questionnaire completed by the teachers included three parts The firstpart was about the teachers’ demographic information which included the teachers’ gender,age, and the number of years they had been teaching English and teaching reading skill.The second part consisted of six questions It was designed to elicit the teachers’ opinionsabout teaching reading subject and what they had done to motivate their students to read.The last part (question 7, 8) was about the teachers' comments on the textbook, and theirsuggestions to improve it

2.3.2 Instrument two: Questionnaire for the students

Two main parts were focused in the questionnaire The first part was about thestudents’ demographic information which included the students’ gender, age, the number ofyears they had been learning English The second part was designed to elicit the students’opinions about the reading subject It consisted of eight questions, four of which wereclosed and four of which were open - ended The first three questions 1, 2 and 3 dealt withthe students’ attitudes towards reading English, questions 4, 5 mentioned the ways theteachers often do to motivate students in learning reading and students’ opinions about that

ways The students’ opinion about current reading materials in class and preferences fortypes of exercise of the reading material were the focused of questions 6, 7, and 8 Due tothese ideas, the research can recommend some ways to help the teachers motivate theirstudents in learning reading.

2.3.3 Instrument three: Interviews

Survey questionnaires were used as the main instruments in this study However,the using of questionnaires also has some limitations: The answers may be simple andsuperficial, the respondents are unreliable and motivated, and may face with literacyproblems, the researchers may have little or no opportunity to correct the respondents’mistakes and hallo effect (which concerns the human tendency to over generalize)….(Dornyei, Z 2005: 10- 13) This is true for the study of motivation, which is an abstract,attitudinal concept Therefore, the interviews were carried out with six participants in afollowing week after processing the questionnaire for students The aim of the researcherfor interviews is to get better insights into the research questions and to discuss for furtherinformation about the items raised in the questionnaires The participants were invited toanswer the questions with the researcher’s explanation of the questions and clarifyingunclear answers, each interview lasted about 20 minutes The informal talks weresometimes done between the researcher and students at English lesson break to have in-depth understanding about the teaching method teachers had just applied and students’preferences

The questions for interviews were compiled in a paper sheet All the interviewswere carried out in Vietnamese in the form of an informal conversation between theresearcher and the students The data collected from interview were recorded, transcribed,and then translated into English for the purposes of the study

2.4 Data collection procedures

The data of the study was collected mainly through reference books and relevanttheories about motivation and reading, interviews and survey questionnaires

First, all collected relevant theories about motivation and reading were studied,consolidated and categorized then organized suitably in parts

Second, the survey to the teachers was delivered to seven teachers of English atThieu Hoa high school, and they had one week to complete it.

Next, with the permission of the Head master and teachers of English at Thieu Hoahigh school, the researcher had a personal contact to 115 students of three 11-form classes

in order to clarify the purpose of the survey and administered the questionnaire delivered tothese students The students were asked to complete the questionnaire within 30 minutes

At last, the interviews were carried out with six participants in a following weekafter processing the questionnaire for students The aim of the researcher for interviews is

to get better insights into the research questions and to discuss for further informationabout the items raised in the questionnaires Each interview lasted about 20 minutes

2.5 Data analysis procedures

The data collected from different sources were inspected, cleaned, transformed, andmodeled with the goal of highlighting useful information, suggesting conclusions, andsupporting decision making The observational field-notes and the interview transcriptionwill be jotted down They will be generated and analyzed by the researcher alone to avoidinconsistency or possible biases and then displayed in forms of charts, tables and figures

A series of analytical categories from the statements was also conducted in order toquantify the open-ended questions from the questionnaires

In short, in this chapter, the methodology of the study has been displayed as theguidelines for the researcher to follow during the implementation of the study In the nextchapter, the analysis of the data and the findings will be identified in detail

CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS, MAJOR FINDINGS AND

SUGGESTIONS

In this chapter the detailed results together with a comprehensive analysis of thedata collected from the survey questionnaires and the interview are presented After that,based on the results of the data analysis, the researcher suggests some strategies to developthe students’ motivation in learning reading skill

3.1 Demographic information

The total number of students participated in the study was 115 of which 62 students(53.9%) are female and 53 students (46.1%) are male The majority is aged 17 (113students, about 98.3%), only two students are aged 18 because they started their study atprimary school one year later than the others

Table 1: Participants by age and gender

Age

17 18 Total

The students taking part in the study were living in the countryside so most of themhad no chances of learning English except at schools About 75.7% (87students) had beenlearning English for 5 years (four years at secondary schools and one year at Thieu Hoahigh school) Only 4 students (3.5%), who had started learning English at primary school,

Table 2: The students’ experience of learning English

Number of students

Among seven teachers participated in the study, there were only two male teachers

The teachers’ ages ranged from 28 to 55 Their experience in teaching English varied from

7 to 30 years All of them had been teaching both the old and the new sets of English

textbooks so they had many experience in teaching reading

3.2 Data analysis and major findings

3.2.1 The identification of students’ motivation

3.2.1.1 Types of students’ motivation

The data obtained from the questionnaire for students will be analyzed to find out

the answer to the research question one: “What are the types of motivation possessed by

students at Thieu Hoa high school in learning reading skill?”

As mentioned in the literature review, there were several ways of classifying

motivation, however, in this study; the researcher followed the classification of Gardner

and Lambert (1972) Therefore, the study focused mainly on two main types of motivation:

integrative and instrumental

The first question in part two of the questionnaire for students was to present the

reasons for learning reading skill The results are displayed in table 3

Table 3: The students’ reasons for learning reading skill

Reasons for learning

a Results in reading are better than those in

other skills

b Interest in English people and culture

c To gain qualifications

d For future jobs

e To pass exams

f Reading is compulsory subject

Table 3 revealed that the highest percentage of the students (73.9%) identified themajor reason for learning reading skill was to meet the future job requirements This wasdue to the fact that in Vietnam, when they work in the offices or companies they often have

to read the documents in English rather than to communicate with foreigners Besides,three out of six students who joints in the interviews had the same ideas that they studiedthis skill just because they thought it would be necessary for their later jobs Below arewhat they said:

- Em nghĩ, ở Việt Nam học tiếng Anh chủ yếu là để đọc và viết thôi, kể cả sau này khi chúng em đi làm chắc cũng chỉ sử dụng tiếng Anh để đọc tài liệu chứ ít khi giao tiếp (I think, in Vietnam learning English is mainly for reading and writing, even when we work in offices, perhaps we only use English to read document not to communicate).

- Em học tiếng Anh vì em nghĩ sau này nó có thể giúp em tìm việc làm dễ dàng hơn (I learn English because I think English helps me find a job in the future more easily)

At the same time, more than a half of the subjects (50.4%) reported to have aninterest in English people and culture when learning English reading This was quiteunderstandable, because English has been widely used in many countries in the world.However, Vietnamese students rarely have chance to go to visit Britain or to contact withBritish people to understand about English people and culture As a result, reading iscertainly a good method for them to enrich their knowledge not only of English but also ofthe wide world

Meanwhile, 35 out of 115 students (about 30.4%) claimed that to gainqualifications was their underlying reason for studying reading skill; only 15 students

thought that they learnt English reading just because this was a compulsory subject at school One student in the interview said that:

- Em thấy tiếng Anh cần thiết nên em học Hơn nữa, đó là một môn học bắt buôc ở trường (I feel that English is necessary so I learn Moreover, it is a compulsory subject at school)

Besides, 21.7 % of the students were found to possess the resultative motivationwhen they chose better results in reading than those in other skills as the main reason Thisseemed that better results might lead to higher motivation One student explained that:

-Em thích học đọc hơn các kỹ năng khác vì em làm bài tập của phần này dễ hơn và

em thường làm đúng nhiều hơn các phần khác (I like reading than other skills because doing the reading tasks is more easily and I often have more correct answers than doing the tasks of other skills).

The lowest percentage (12.1%) of the students with the short-term goal for readingthought that their reason for learning was to pass the exams

To sum up, the main reasons for the students at Thieu Hoa high school to learnreading was to help with their future jobs, to broaden their knowledge of English peopleand culture and their knowledge of the world and to gain qualifications Other reasons such

as better result, passing exams… were not the main cause for their high motivation inlearning reading skill

Based on the reasons for learning reading, it could be concluded that types ofmotivation possessed by the students were quite varied However, according to theclassification of Gardner and Lambert (1972), types of motivation possessed by students inthe study were displayed in the chart 1 below

Intergrative motivation Instrumental motivation

A combination of both orientations

Chart 1: Types of students’ motivation in learning reading skill

According to the chart, 40.9% of the students were found to possess instrumentalmotivation with the reason that they studied English for meeting the requirements of futurejobs At the same time, only 6.1% reported that they did support an integrative approach tosecond language study This revealed that an instrumental orientation was much moreimportant than an integrative one However, it was very interesting to note that more than ahalf (53%) of the students identified as having a combination of both orientations Thiscould be a valid foundation to assist students in studying But, it would be morechallenging for the teachers to find the appropriate forms of stimulation to motivate them.

3.2.1.2 The students’ interest in learning reading skill

Most of the students in the interviews had positive attitude towards reading skill.They were all aware of the importance of reading in improving other skills like speaking,listening, writing and also in mastering grammar and vocabulary Besides, they believedthat reading was a good tool to broaden their mind and improve their knowledge In short,the majority of the students highly appreciated the value and the importance of reading totheir process of learning English

However, the results of question 2 in the questionnaire revealed that the students’interest in learning reading skill is very different

Only 6 out of 115 students (about 5.2%) in the survey said that they were veryinterested in reading skill and 19 students (about 16.5%) thought reading was interesting,while 33 students (about 28.6%) felt bored or really bored when learning reading skill andthe rest (57 students about 49.6%) claimed that their feelings about reading was so-so Thestudents’ interest in learning reading skill is briefly summarized in chart 2

Very interested Interested So-so Uninterested Really uninterested

Chart 2: The students’ interest in learning reading skill

3.2.1.3 Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading skill

Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading skill will be discussed in

the research question 2: “What are the factors affecting students’ motivation in learning English reading skill?” The collected data from survey questionnaire revealed that there

are many different factors which have influence on students’ motivation to read The mostcommon factors were displayed in chart 3 below

Reading activities and tasks Students’ background knowledge of English language Success in reading

Chart 3: Factors affecting students’ motivation in learning reading skill

It can be clearly seen from chart 3 that the factor which had the greatest influence

on students’ motivation was reading materials with the rate of 66.1% of the participants Infact, 5 out of six students in the interview agreed that reading materials played an importantrole on their motivation two read Here are two of their opinions:

-Nếu tài liệu đọc có chủ đề hấp dẫn và gần gũi với chúng em thì bao giờ chúng em cũng hào hứng đọc hơn (If the reading materials have interesting and familiar topics, we will be more excited to read).

- Em chỉ thích đọc những bài đọc không quá dài và quá khó Tất nhiên nội dung phải hay nữa (I just like reading the texts which are not too long and too difficult.

Of course, the content must be interesting).

Another factor affecting motivation of most students in learning reading was theteacher 68 out of 115 students (about 59.1%) in the survey reported that the teacher had avital role to their motivation Besides, all the interviewees shared the same idea that theirmotivation to read depending so much on the ways the teacher gave the lessons and alsothe ways he/she behaved with them The following are some typical opinions:

-Theo em, giáo viên bất kỳ môn học nào có phương pháp dạy dễ hiểu thì chúng em đều thích học Giáo viên tiếng Anh thì càng cần có phương pháp tốt hơn vì môn này khó và lúc nào chúng em cũng sợ nó (In my opinion, teachers of any subjects who have good teaching methods will bring us with motivation to study It is more necessary for teachers of English to have good teaching methods because English

is a difficult subject and we are always afraid of it)

- Mặc dù môn tiếng Anh khó, nhưng em vẫn thích học vì cô giáo môn tiếng Anh của

em rất sôi nổi và thân thiện (Although English is difficult, I am interested in learning it because my English teacher is very brisk and friendly)

-Em thích các giờ tiếng Anh mà cô giáo có tổ chức một số hoạt động thú vị Em có cảm giác các giờ học đó thật nhẹ nhàng, giống như chúng em đang chơi vậy (I like English lessons in which my teacher had some exciting activities I feel those lessons were very easy as we were playing).

Besides, the students’ background knowledge of English language was also a mainfactor affecting their motivation to read There were 48.7% of the samples size agreed tochoose this factor This was due to the explanation that knowledge of English languageespecially vocabulary and grammar would help student to read more easily and therefore itwould motivate students to read more

As mentioned above that better result might lead to higher motivation, about 39.1%

of the population believed that success was important to their motivation in learningreading One student said that:

- Mỗi khi làm bài đúng hoặc được điểm cao em lại thấy có động lực để học hơn (Every time I had correct answers or got high marks, I was motivated to learn more).